Department of Finance

Finance (MS)(Dual Degree MBA/MS)

Telephone: (302) 831-1015
Website: http://www.lerner.udel.edu/finance
Faculty Listing: http://www.lerner.udel.edu/departments/finance/faculty-staff

MS Finance

Program Overview

The purpose of the STEM-designated MS Finance program is to provide students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to be innovative, well-informed, and experienced finance professionals. The curriculum is based on the financial theory and empirical methods employed by professionals practicing corporate finance, financial security valuation, financial modeling, portfolio management, financial services management, financial risk management, and corporate governance. In addition, students are expected to leverage the educational opportunities afforded by the Lerner Trading Center and the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance. As a result, students will obtain training and experience valued by corporations, financial service firms, consulting firms, and government agencies. Additionally, if desired, students may tailor their program to enhance progress through a subsequent doctoral degree program.

If accepted into the program as a full-time student with a strong background in finance, the 30-credit degree program may be completed in nine months (the accelerated program). Other full-time students may complete the program in eighteen months and part-time students may complete the program in twenty-one months.

For further details, visit the MS in Finance program page or contact the MS Finance Program Director: ms-finance@udel.edu.

Requirements for Admission

Candidates for admission need not have majored in any specific field, but they will be expected to possess:

Strong written and oral communication skills.
An understanding of finance and accounting concepts as presented in FINC650 (Financial Management) and ACCT620 (Theory of External Reporting and Applications).
Basic computer skills equivalent to MISY 160 Business Computing: Tool and Concepts.
Mathematical skills equivalent to MATH 221 Calculus and MATH 230 Finite Mathematics with Applications.

Students deficient in any of the admission requirements may be admitted on conditional status and required to complete prerequisite non-degree coursework.

Admission to the program is selective and competitive. Those who meet stated minimum academic requirements are not guaranteed admission, nor are those who fail to meet those requirements necessarily precluded from admission if they offer other appropriate strengths. The following should be considered the minimum requirements for consideration for admission:

Comply with all of the requirements in the Graduate Admissions section of this catalog.
Earn a minimum combined verbal and quantitative score of 300 on the GRE or at or above the 55 percentile on the GMAT.
Have a minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (out of 4.0).
Hold the equivalent of a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
Submit official transcripts of all previous academic work.
Submit two (2) letters of recommendation.
Submit a resume and application essay on the following topic:
- What are your career objectives and how will an MS Finance degree from the Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics at the University of Delaware help you achieve your goals?
Students whose native language is not English must achieve either a minimum score of 100 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL-IBT) or 7.5 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). This requirement may be waived if the student has earned a degree from an accredited educational institution in a country where English is the primary language and instruction was in English.

See Graduate Admissions for additional information, particularly for application procedures and deadlines.

Accelerated Degree Program (4+1) Finance BS + MS

Program Overview

Our STEM designated 4+1 option allows undergraduate Finance majors at the University of Delaware to earn a Master’s degree in Finance with just one extra year of coursework. Ideally, students should apply to the 4+1 program in spring of junior year, although students can also apply during the fall of senior year.

With the 4+1 program, students are allowed to double-count two upper-level Finance courses for both the BS and MS degrees. This means that students will take two upper-level Finance courses at the graduate level during senior year. During the fifth year, students will take additional courses for the master’s degree. These courses may include:

FINC 670 - Theory of Financial Decision Making
FINC 671 - Workshop in Finance Seminar
FINC 672 - Workshop in Finance: Empirical Research
ECON 622 - Applied Econometrics I
ACCT 625 - Financial Statement Analysis
FINC 662 - Fixed Income Securities
FINC 651 - Corporate Financial Analysis or FINC 619 - Financial Modeling & Valuation
FINC 652 - Investment Analysis & Portfolio Management or FINC 616 - Derivative Securities & Risk Management

See BS + MS Accelerated Degree Program in Finance page for additional information.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the 4+1 program, students must be an undergraduate Finance major, have a 3.0 GPA, and have done well in all Finance courses. GMAT/GRE requirements are waived for 4+1 applicants.

Programs

Master’s

Finance (MS)

Dual Degree

Finance (MBA/MS)

4+1

Finance 4+1 (BS/MS)